From The Ashes - 037 (Patreon)

Chapter 037 – 'Bahat'

[2012]

Setting the basket down on the stone stable in front of the small cottage that served as an outdoor dining table, I looked quietly at the middle-aged Queen that radiated inner strength, her presence unique under the observation of my Haki.

"Please, take a seat and get comfortable.", I invited and continued, "I will go and wash up quickly if you will excuse me."

Nodding in return, Thor's mother smiled lightly as she replied: “Sure, I am not rushed for time.”

Leaving her behind as I stepped into the small cottage, I couldn't help but make guesses for the real reason that the Queen of Asgard had come by this morning.

It wasn't too difficult to detect the minute shifts in her mood and the obvious half-truth in her words with my extraordinarily sensitive perception, my Observation Haki serving as an invaluable tool when it came to figuring out people's intentions.

I went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth out of habit while I pondered this, despite knowing very well that my inner fire made those actions a bit obsolete.

Recalling what I roughly remembered from the movies, it wasn't hard to guess that Frigga aimed to be a mediator that hoped to smooth out the grudge between me and the Allfather. She was a very mindful woman, after all, and as the Queen, she would surely try to act in the best interest of Asgard.

Having a basic understanding of her personality, I could see her intentions since she wasn't just concerned about the survival of her family, she was also a woman willing to do almost anything to ensure that.

After all, she had even been willing to make a deal with Thanos to save Loki from the chaotic void where the broken Bifrost bridge had sent him, which meant that his attempted invasion of Earth was an indirect result of her intervention.

Now, I didn't think that was her intention but I was sure that even if she had known what would happen as a result of her decision, she would not hesitate to do it again.

The lives of thousands of human was a price that she would gladly pay for the safety of her son, at least I believed that this was the case, which wasn't something that I condemned her for even in the privacy of my own mind.

And why would I since I understood her willingness to be reunited with her loved one?

After all, if burning worlds and extinguishing stars would allow me to bring her back to me, I wasn't sure that I had the inner strength to not turn into a monster that sought only destruction, regardless of the number of victims.

I would like to believe that I would hesitate to become something that she wouldn't recognize, to become someone that she could never love. But real grief could be a terrible poison that changed and corrupted a person thoroughly.

Still, independent from my own hypothetical actions, this fact alone made it clear to me that Frigga was not a 'good' person in the simple sense of the word. There were different facets to her character, as was the case for most people, which would make it a wise move to think carefully before trusting her.

In comparison, Thor's forwardness and brutish 'naivety' made him the most likable character of his family, in my opinion. His sense of honor and bravery were rare qualities even among the 'noble and godlike' Asgardians.

Returning back outside, the mature Queen had already set the table with the plates and food that she had brought, which mostly consisted of fruits and some soft biscuits that looked very appetizing.

It was obviously a light breakfast, which I welcomed and preferred.

Frigga naturally tried to engage me in some small talk as she asked: "Have you found the time yet to explore the city, Lord Hatahle?"

“No, there were other matters that required my attention.”, I replied, unwilling to share the finer details of my daily schedule.

She smiled lightly in response and stated: "Asgard has a lot to offer, I would love to show you around and keep you company in place of my son and Lady Sif since it will probably take a while before either of them will come back from Vanir."

"It would be a shame for you to not have someone to show you around and be your guide. We cannot be slack in our hospitality for a benefactor of Asgard, after all.", she added with a sincere smile, her tone pleasant.

Her offer seemed genuine and I was somewhat curious about this 'godly' city. I was aware that her goal might be to instill some sense of closeness for Asgard in me, which would obviously reduce my hostility if I ever sought to settle my grudge with Odin.

But what the Queen didn't understand was that I had no intention to settle a personal grudge by attacking innocent Asgardians that lived in this land.

On the other hand, no matter how fond I would grow of Asgard and its people when and if I decided to settle the debts between me and their King, I was going to be ruthless in my execution of revenge, uncaring for any illusionary sentiments.

Changing or influencing the mind of a wielder of Conquerer's Haki was near impossible since the thing that most of us had in common was a stubbornness that even death could not erase.

Eventually, we finished our meal after I vaguely agreed to let her show me around Asgard sometime in the future and we walked to the flying vessel that was going to take us to the Bifrost bridge.

…

"Hahaha, you finally arrived, Supreme!", Eitri hollered as soon as he saw me entering his private workshop but his wide smile and boisterous expression turned to one of surprise when he saw the middle-aged woman by my side along with the half-a-dozen Einherjar, "Your Highness!"

He obviously recognized Frigga and lightly bowed in response to her presence but she just mildly waved her hand as she said: “Be at ease, Eitri. I just came to accompany Lord Hatahle.”

“My Lord.”, Johann greeted quietly as he just appeared by my side like a cloud of shadowy fog, his form turning corporal almost immediately.

He obviously had retained some of his abilities as a specter, which was certainly not a disadvantage as it made him a much more dangerous opponent.

Eitri, on the other hand, seemed to accept the Queen's words without hesitation since he wasn't fond of adhering to the standards of etiquette anyway, or so it seemed. I also didn't try to change his way of addressing me as I knew how useless it was to try and argue after arriving at an obvious dead-end.

Instead, I looked at his expression and commented lightly: “It seems that you have been successful in creating an armament for me, Eitri.”

"Successful? Haha!", he laughed out loud again unable to contain his excitement, "I forged you the best weapon that I have ever created, Supreme! There will never be a second one like it, haha!"

His words were filled with incredible pride and conviction, his eyes almost glowing with what one might call a fanatical look. But in reality, I was a look only a craftsman could have after seeing his own work and knowing that it was the best one had and would ever create.

I recognized this look as I had turned to carpentry after leaving the Army and I had thrown my all into it since I didn't have much else to live for.

And there was nothing that could quite compare to creating something with one's own hands at times. No matter who the client was, no one would or could ever love a piece of craft as much as its creator.

It was impossible to share with another being the effort, blood, sweat, and satisfaction that went into a piece. The passion and emotional investment simply weren't something that could be conveyed to someone else.

And it wasn't because a creator couldn't see the flaws of its own creation, it was the opposite.

A craftsman would always understand the flaws of his own work the best, know and see every blemish and imperfection with a single look.

But he would also be able to see and know its beauty in a way that nobody else could.

Thinking of this, I simply smiled as I said: “Show me.”

Hearing my words, Eitri smiled too, his grin akin to that of a young boy that had just been gifted a toy sword by his father.

He turned around without any hesitation as he grabbed something from his high table before taking barely three steps to arrive in front of me and presenting me with a cloth-wrapped object in his palm while lowering himself to one of his knees.

Unfolding the grey fabric, my eyes fell onto a short sword inside a simple black sheath.

Taking the blade into my hands, I didn't hesitate to unsheath it and what appeared was a slim blade that had the width of barely two and a half fingers, which tapered to a fine point like the tooth of a dragon, and a length of one and a half feet.

There was no handguard but the grip was longer than the width of a palm with almost eight inches. The transition between the body and the handle was seamless as the blade had been forged in one piece.

The blade was all black with intricate carvings of Nordic symbols on the handle while the overall shape reminded me of a thorn, the thickness of the blade the same as a leaf with only the center part being minutely thicker.

It lay quietly in my hand but I could feel the blade's terrible hunger and will to devour, its desire invading my body like a real force as it tried to absorb my spiritual energy and the cosmic energy of the two Infinity Stones.

Frowning, I awakened my Conquerer's Spirit and dominated the blade's will without hesitation, forcing it to submit mercilessly as a dark aura flared up on the body of the sword for a few short moments.

The short sword was obviously an unruly one and I could feel its tyrannical strength and its ruthlessly uncaring edge.

This blade was a ferocious beast that seemingly desired to devour the world, its unbending pride refusing to just submit as it only temporarily quietened down but in no way had it decided to give in to my rule.

“I named it 'Bahat', the Overbearing Blade.”, Eitri informed me in a low voice when he saw that I had tamed it temporarily, “It will never be a subservient blade and it will never accept defeat, which is why only a Supreme could ever hope to wield it.”

His dark eyes glowed as he looked at the beautiful short sword, the love of father shining in his eyes: "I forged it out of the metallic bones of an Astral Beast that attacked Nidavellir a few centuries ago. The Allfather managed to slay the beast and protect us from it but it still killed many of my clansmen after destroying nearly half of the forge."

"You may have never heard of an Astral Beast since those creatures live in the void between dimensions and some say that they are even rarer than Celestials. They only leave their nests every so often to devour suns or dying stars."

"They also have another name – Leviathans.", Eitri explained and my eyes couldn't help but widen as it dawned on me why this blade had such a ferocious will, given that it was forged from the bones of creature that treated dying stars as its favorite past time snack.

"I had never imagined that I would use those bones to forge a weapon, even though they are superior to even the best of the magical steels since it is impossible to eradicate the remnants of the beast's will without destroying the superior quality of the material, which makes it impossible for anyone to wield such a weapon without being devoured by it."

Focusing his intense gaze on me, he ended fervently: "But you are different, Supreme! I know that you will master this blade and when you do, I will have done my ancestors proud, creating a weapon that rivals the legendary King's Spear – Gugnir! Haha!"

[A/N: 'Bahat' is a Kroatian word and means 'overbearing', 'arrogant', 'insolent', etc. in English, which is exactly the character of the blade.

Bahamut is also often used to describe a fantasy-style draconic creature of incredible power in different genres and entertainment venues.

Additionally, 'Bahamut' is a legendary fish in the arabic myth on which the world is rested since after god created Earth, it lacked support and footing. So god created an angel below Earth, whose name was Bahamut.

So yeah, if someone wonders how I chose the name of Noah's blade, that's basically it.

Now, if you are curious about the swords actual look, it would be similar to Chinese-style short sword named 'Duan Jian', which is just beautiful. It's not hundred percent identical but definitely very close.

Here the link for a picture: https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/api/collection/v1/iiif/26566/60315/main-image

Anyway, I hope you had a great start into the week and enjoyed the chapter!]